For many years the ELCA Annual Congregation Report included Form C. As time went by, the Office of the Secretary determined that the data collected through Form C lacked depth or thematic focus, and it took too long to report.

With those concerns in mind, we are trying something new in data collection. Instead of soliciting information from all congregations and worshiping communities simultaneously through Form C, we will be conducting Congregation Pulse Surveys. These surveys are one way for congregations and worshiping communities to share their perspectives, strengths, and needs with the synods and the churchwide organization in an expedient way.

Each Pulse Survey can be completed in five minutes or less and without any research. The best person to complete the survey is likely the congregation or worshiping community’s rostered minister, administrative assistant, or council president.

This Pulse Survey includes a total of 15 questions. The primary topic is congregational vitality, using the ELCA’s Gifts of Baptism – Five Gifts of Discipleship resource as a guide. Additionally, because congregations and worshiping communities frequently ask the churchwide organization to share a narrative about some aspect of their ministry, the Pulse Survey asks where your congregation or worshiping community finds joy in ministry. We hope that this will allow you to communicate a deeper level of information about vitality. To further amplify these stories, we intend to share them with staff in your synod. At the end, there are three questions about how you communicate with participants in your ministry, and their awareness of God’s Love Made Real.

You can access the survey by clicking this HERE.

The survey will now close Friday, May 17, 2024.